A Time of Reflection and Remembrance By Mariah Battiston,
4
I always have enjoyed the Fall and the time after Halloween at the begin- ning of November. The season changing with the falling of leaves, days getting shorter and the holiday season bustle about to begin. However another reason that this time is dear to my heart is that it is a time of remembrance and reflection for the life that we are so blessed to have due in a large part to the sacrifice of others. I have always included my chil- dren in Remembrance Day services. As I was sourcing articles for the newsletter, I thought what better time to reflect on why we wear a poppy at this time of remembrance. During the First World War (1914–1918) much of the fighting took place in Western Europe. Previously beautiful countryside was blasted, bombed and fought over, again and again. The land- scape swiftly turned to fields of mud: bleak and barren scenes where little or nothing could grow. Bright red Flanders poppies (Papaver rhoeas) however, were deli- cate but resilient flowers and grew in their thousands, flourishing even in the middle of chaos and destruction. In early May 1915, shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lt Col John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies to write a now famous poem called 'In Flanders Fields'. McCrae’s poem inspired an American academic, Moina Michael, to make and sell red silk poppies which were adopted in 1921 by A Parenting Education Evening Hosted by the Council of Parent Participation Preschools in BC $90.00 for PPP member schools with 30 members or fewer, $110.00 for more than 30 members. Single tickets available at door $10.00 Contact Council for tickets: (604)435-4430 or [email protected] Attendance at this event can count as Parent Ed requirement for either November or December! A Time of Reflection and Remembrance By Mariah Battiston, CPPPBC Office Coordinator Dates to Remember CPPPBC Board Meeting Monday, Nov. 21st at 7:00pm in the Council Office CPPPBC Parent Education Speaker Event Tuesday, Nov. 29th 7:00 –9:00pm WIN WIN Raffle Early Bird Draw Date Jan. 16th, 2016 Regular Office Hours Monday to Thursday 9:30-am to 2:30pm Closed for Christmas Break Dec. 17th to Jan. 3rd William McLellan AKA “Disaster Bill” Tuesday, November 29th, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 pm EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Marlborough Elementary School 6060 Marlborough Avenue, parking lot off Dover Street http://goo.gl/maps/6LVo1 Disaster Bill has been a Paramedic for the past 32 years. He is a member of the Vancouver Urban Search & Rescue Team; a member of the Deltta Emergency Social Services; a member of the Provincial Emergency Program and Instructor of the Year, Justice Institute, BC. Disaster Bill will give an entertaining and informative workshop on the anatomy and physiology of an earthquake; man made versus natural disasters; disaster prepared- ness at home; school and community plans and will discuss Community Reception Centres and the H.E.R.O.S Program. the military veterans groups in parts of the former British Em- pire: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. They were sold on 11 November that year. The poppies sold out almost immediately and that first ever 'Poppy Appeal' raised a considerable amount of money at the time. This was used to help WW1 veterans with employment and housing. Here is the well-known poem that inspired the tradition. IN FLANDERS FIELDS In Flanders' fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place: and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders' fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe; To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high, If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders' Fields.
Transcript of A Time of Reflection and Remembrance By Mariah Battiston,
I always have enjoyed the Fall and the time after Halloween at the begin-
ning of November. The season changing with the falling of leaves, days
getting shorter and the holiday season bustle about to begin. However
another reason that this time is dear to my heart is that it is a time of
remembrance and reflection for the life that we are so blessed to have due
in a large part to the sacrifice of others. I have always included my chil-
dren in Remembrance Day services. As I was sourcing articles for the
newsletter, I thought what better time to reflect on why we wear a poppy
at this time of remembrance.
During the First World War (1914–1918) much of the fighting
took place in Western Europe. Previously beautiful countryside
was blasted, bombed and fought over, again and again. The land-
scape swiftly turned to fields of mud: bleak and barren scenes
where little or nothing could grow.
Bright red Flanders poppies (Papaver rhoeas) however, were deli-
cate but resilient flowers and grew in their thousands, flourishing
even in the middle of chaos and destruction. In early May 1915,
shortly after losing a friend in Ypres, a Canadian doctor, Lt Col
John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies to write a now
famous poem called 'In Flanders Fields'.
McCrae’s poem inspired an American academic, Moina Michael,
to make and sell red silk poppies which were adopted in 1921 by
A Parenting Education Evening Hosted by the Council of Parent Participation Preschools in BC
$90.00 for PPP member schools with 30 members or fewer, $110.00 for more than 30 members.
Single tickets available at door $10.00
Contact Council for tickets: (604)435-4430 or [email protected]
Attendance at this event can count as Parent Ed requirement for either November or December!
A Time of Reflection and Remembrance By Mariah Battiston, CPPPBC Office Coordinator Dates to Remember
CPPPBC Board
Meeting
Monday, Nov. 21st
at 7:00pm in the
Council Office
CPPPBC Parent
Education Speaker
Event
Tuesday, Nov. 29th
7:00 –9:00pm
WIN WIN Raffle
Early Bird Draw Date
Jan. 16th, 2016
Regular Office Hours
Monday to Thursday
9:30-am to 2:30pm
Closed for Christmas
Break
Dec. 17th to Jan. 3rd
William McLellan AKA “Disaster Bill”
Tuesday, November 29th, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Marlborough Elementary School
6060 Marlborough Avenue, parking lot off Dover Street
http://goo.gl/maps/6LVo1
Disaster Bill has been a Paramedic for the past 32 years. He is a member of the Vancouver Urban Search & Rescue Team; a member of the Deltta Emergency Social
Services; a member of the Provincial Emergency Program and Instructor of the Year, Justice Institute, BC.
Disaster Bill will give an entertaining and informative workshop on the anatomy and physiology of an earthquake; man made versus natural disasters; disaster prepared-
ness at home; school and community plans and will discuss Community Reception Centres and the H.E.R.O.S Program.
the military veterans groups in parts of the former British Em-
pire: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
They were sold on 11 November that year. The poppies sold out
almost immediately and that first ever 'Poppy Appeal' raised
a considerable amount of money at the time. This was used to
help WW1 veterans with employment and housing. Here is the
well-known poem that inspired the tradition.
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
In Flanders' fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders' fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe;
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high,
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders' Fields.
Page 2
police and a black person. That’s not the place that anyone can start if
they haven’t been building vocabulary and comfort and confidence
before then.
Black Lives Matter was a tangible and easily accessible place to engage a
young person. I might say to my children: “We live in a world that’s
unfair. People are not treated the same all the time, and that has to do
with how we look sometimes. People who are white don’t have to worry
about this, but people who are black do sometimes. We’re treated differ-
ently based on our skin tone; we don’t want the world to be like that,
and it’s important to us to stand up to this. We don’t want to live in a
world where people who are black aren’t safe.” The concept of fairness
and unfairness is a very tangible thing for a three- or four-year-old!
I’m organizing a small gathering with some neighbors to make Black
Lives Matter shirts with fabric markers, and window signs, in honor
of Wear Out the Silence. For me, this is a concrete way to get my chil-
dren in dismantling white privilege in however so small a way.
ON CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Sachi: With books about race, there are two types: a diverse cast of char-
acters that’s sort of the point of the book [like Everywhere Babies], and
our goal there is to name race. And then there are books that talk di-
rectly — Let’s Talk about Race by Julius Lester or The Colors of Us by
Karen Katz.
Lori: It’s also important to have books that have characters of color and
yet aren’tabout race — to normalize the idea that that’s enough. [There
was a great Slate post about this, too.] These stories of everyday people
are worth telling. For example, Ezra Jack Keats books are wonderful.
[Here are more children’s books with characters of color.)
People Colors Crayons also allow students from different colors to rep-
resent themselves and others in their artwork in a way that traditional
color schemes did not. They’re useful in supporting students’ explora-
tion of race and color. Also having a diverse set of toys — both black and
white dolls, for example.
ON EVERYDAY CONVERSATIONS
Sachi: My daughter knows she’s white. I’m not sure when I knew I was
white, not when I was four. It’s not like it’s this rigorous thing where
you’re doing something wrong if you don’t talk about race every day,
but the more experience I’ve gained as a parent, the more of a daily
experience it is for me. If I walk by the basketball court by my house and
see that most of the kids playing that day are brown-skinned boys, if I
don’t break it down and say some days we see a more interracial group
and sometimes we see girls playing, then I am letting my child see that
stereotype every day.
ON SEEKING OUT A DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Lori: Having a diverse friend group is important, as much as it’s possi-
ble. Of course, we work with some folks who are just in homogenous
neighborhoods and that makes it difficult. Interaction helps children, in
particular, break down biases they would have otherwise believed. We
might join a soccer leagues or swim team that is more diverse. Try to
find a church with people who aren’t the same color as you. There are
opportunities to do things that are more integrated – there’s value in
seeking them out, if that’s important to you.
Raising Race-Conscious Children
By Joanna Goddard, Professional writer, Creator of “Cup of Jo” blog. Submitted by Vancouver Branch of PPPTA
As a mother, I’ve always wanted my children be kind to everyone and
accept people without biases or stereotypes. I figured that by being
“colorblind,” or not calling attention to race, I was showing them that
everyone was equal. But then I read a Washington that explained that
a colorblind approach may actually do more harm than good. To fur-
ther educate myself, I spoke to Lori Taliaferro Riddick and Sachi Feris
from the fantastic site Raising Race-Conscious Children, and here’s
what they told me…
Lori identifies as black/biracial/multi-racial, and Sachi is a white Jew-
ish woman of Russian, Polish, Lebanese, Syrian and Cuban descent.
They each have two children.
ON NAMING RACE
Sachi: Parents can be so nervous of making a mistake that they avoid
conversations about race. They make an assumption that the topic
hasn’t come up for their kids yet. But that’s not true. It’s easier to
imagine that kids aren’t seeing things we aren’t comfortable with, ver-
sus that they’re observing the world around them with a higher level of
accuracy than we notice or want them to.
When reading a children’s book, you might say, “I see a picture here
and it has three little girls and one has pale skin, and we call that
white, and we’re white, too, and there’s another little girl with brown
skin.” We’re just saying the words, just like we’re saying the sky is blue.
Ultimately, before you can teach more higher level critical thinking,
you have this language in your toolbox.
Lori: With very young children we often point out the colors of buses,
fire trucks and grass, as we teach them about the world. We’re naming
all these things, but we’re not talking about people’s colors. In some
ways, it’s really odd that there’s this whole description that we’re not
addressing. It teaches kids that race is not okay to talk about. When
parents are silent, children make up their own stories as to why.
Sachi: Parents often ask which words they should use to describe skin
tones. We advocate for using both types of words — actual skin tones
(like “brown” or “peach”) is more descriptive and more accurate to
what we actually see; but I use the words “white” and “black” even
though it is a social construct just to break it down for my children. If I
don’t use those words, it’s harder to talk in a larger way about race in
our society.
Lori: Some parents will say, “I don’t want to mention that someone’s
black,” and I say, “Black people aren’t upset that they’re black.” I think
it’s important to dispel that idea.
ON STARTING A LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE
Sachi: As a white woman, I had never heard the term “white privilege”
until I got to college. I don’t want my children to learn at 18 that white
privilege exists and is very real. I want them to understand that as chil-
dren. It’s hard for them to understand they’re little people who can
make a difference in the world and their immediate lives if they don’t
have the awareness to talk about it.
We don’t expect any family to have their first conversation on race or
racial justice when another tragic media story comes up about the
Page 3
I was recently reading customer reviews on Amazon and, specifi-
cally, I was reading a review of a Bill Martin Jr. picture book. It is
worth noting that Bill Martin Jr co-authored Chicka Chicka
Boom Boom, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Both of these very popular classic picture books are on a list of the
top 100 Picture Books by School Library Journal. The reviewer
asked, "Why not just call someone Tom Smith" (rather than using char-
acter names that include alliteration or perhaps rhyme)? So, let's
take a look at why picture book authors often use alliteration,
rhyming and repetition when they write for children.
Quite apart from wanting to write an engaging and entertaining
story for children, authors who use alliteration, rhyming and repe-
tition are helping to prepare young children for formal reading
instruction because children who hear stories with alliteration
(Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Some Smug Slug ), rhyming
(The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop) and repetition (Going on a
Bear Hunt, Mortimer) gain phonemic awareness.
Phonemic awareness is a key element of reading readiness and yet
it is easily overlooked by people (like the book reviewer I men-
tioned previously). Phonemic awareness is the understanding that
words are made up of sounds. To you or me that might seem like
an incredibly obvious statement. We take it for granted that words
are made up of sounds. For children, we want to reinforce this mes-
sage frequently. We want them to learn to pick out sounds and
manipulate sounds. We want them to understand that Swishy-swashy!
Swishy-swashy! Swishy-swashy! in Going on a Bear Hunt is a wonderful
example of playing with sounds and manipulating sounds. When the
The Cat in the Hat says, "I know it is wet And the sun is not sunny. But
we can have Lots of good fun that is funny!", we want young children to
hear sun and sunny, fun and funny and understand that the author is
writing something clever and playful and entertaining.
If you want to grow a great reader (and a good speller), please make a
point of reading picture books that include alliteration, rhyming and
repetition. Use funny voices, talk with your child about the rhymes
and nonsense. Help your child to hear that purple, plastic and purse
all begin with the same sound and hop and pop end with the same
sound. If you do that, your child will have an easier time with spell-
ing and reading because she will be ready to blend letter sounds
together to make words and pull words apart in order to spell them.
StoryTime Standouts!
By Carolyn Hart, BC Certified Teacher and Parent Educator
Carolyn presents Parent Ed. programs throughout British Columbia. She is a former PPP parent and a B.C. certified teacher. Please visit her website -
www.storytimestandouts.com and follow her on Twitter @StoryStandouts and Pinterest.com/storystandouts/.
WIN/WIN/WIN RAFFLE! Join us for this popular and easy fundraiser. Last year our member preschools raised thousands of dollars to support their
Preschools, and helped raise funds to support CPPPBC programs!
Each year many member preschools take part in this very special fundraiser. Your preschool receives 40% cash back on all the tickets that you sell and CPPPBC pays for all the prizes, license and printing costs. The final draw date is April 1st, 2017
Help us reach our fundraising goal of selling two raffle books per preschool family. For example, selling just 50 books of tickets will net your preschool $ 400.00! Prizes can be won from anywhere in the province. ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY!
Contact the CPPPBC office [email protected] or 604-435-4430.
From the Council office...
Early Bird Draw—January 16 th, 2017
iPad Mini worth $350.00
Final Draw—April 1st, 2017
Grand Prize -$500.00 Cash
2nd Prize – Sun Peaks Resort vacation package, worth $500.00
3rd Prize – Big Kids Night Out Package, worth $300
4th Prize – Family Entertainment Package, worth $250
5th Prize – Art Lovers’ Package, worth $200
6th Prize – Family Adventure in the City, worth $150
7th Prize - Let’s Go Go Play Package, worth $100
8th Prize - Music Lovers’ Package, worth $50
9th Prize - Picnic Package, worth $50
10th Prize - Book Lovers’ Package, worth $50
Combined prize value over $2500.00
Articles and correspondence for The PPP Partner is c2015 by The Council of Parent Participation Preschools in BC. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Council nor the editor. Six issues published per year. Distribution: 1500
Advertise Your Next School Event here for free! (Member schools only)
For more details please contact [email protected]
The PPP Partner Newsletter of The Council of Parent Participation Preschools in BC
#4-4340 Carson Street Burnaby, BC V5J 2X9 Phone: 604 435 4430 Fax: 604 434 0443 E-Mail: [email protected]
Council Office: Monday to Thursday 9:30 am – 2:30 pm
For a Member Preschool near you please visit our website at www.cpppreschools.bc.ca
Got Stuff You Don’t Want? As a fundraising initiative the Council will be
collecting for Big Brothers. Save all your used clothing, ac-
cessories and linens and drop them by the Council office in
a large garbage bag. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Next Pick-up
will be in Mid-December.
Contact us for more information!
[email protected] or phone: 604-435-4430.
Need to do some laminating or photocopying?
The Council Office offers these services to our member preschools
Photocopying: 10 cents/ sheet
Laminating: $1 / half metre
WOULD YOU LIKE CPPPBC TO ATTEND YOUR
GENERAL MEETING?
Our Board Volunteers would love to come and greet your members and pre-sent an overview of our wonderful organization and PPP in BC. It’s a 15 min-
ute presentation. Great for morale and connecting with our community at large.
Contact Roberta at [email protected] or (604)435-4430.
Having a
FUNdraiser or
Community
Event?
How about creating
buttons for your
school to use as a
promotional tool or
as an activity for your
preschool.
Our Button maker is
available to use on
loans.
Buttons are 25 cents
each. Call to reserve
today!
Grand Boulevard
Parent Participation
Preschool Sale
When: November 9th, 1:30 pm—4:30
pm & November 10th,
10:00 am—2:00 pm
Where: Edgemont Moving & Storage
located at 1550 Bay Street,
North Vancouver
What: Everything you need for your
preschool including all preschool
furniture, small and large motor skill
toys, books, outdoor equipment and
much more...come and take a look.
Contact Sarah Cormier for more info:
WANT TO MAKE YOUR CHILDREN'S PARTY OR EVENT A LITTLE EXTRA
SPECIAL?! How about a fun magic show?
Peter Rooke is an experienced magician specializing in shows for children.
Each show is arranged to suit their ages and are full of laughs,
audience-interaction and participation.
For details, please contact Peter at 604-984-6822
E-mail: [email protected] Or visit
www.peterrookemagic.ca
Thinking of a Seasonal Holiday Gift?Thinking of a Seasonal Holiday Gift?Thinking of a Seasonal Holiday Gift?Thinking of a Seasonal Holiday Gift?
ARE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY PREPARED FOR A DIS-
ASTER?
Seismic experts say that a major earthquake will happen in B.C. We cannot prevent an earthquake, however we can
prepare for it.
The Council of Parent Participation Preschools in BC has an opportunity for you to protect yourselves and your loved
ones. Purchase emergency preparedness kits for the home, car or office at wholesale prices and help raise money for the
CPPPBC Community at the same time.
The emergency kits we are offering have all the tools you will need to be protected. The emergency food and water is the same product that is used for the Coast Guard when they are
out on emergency calls and has a shelf life of 5 years.
Experts say that you should have a 3 day supply of food and water in your kit because that’s how long it could take for help to
arrive.
Purchase emergency kits this holiday season and partial pro-ceeds of each purchase is returned to the CPPPBC Community. We are asking all families to take this information to your loved
ones, friends and neighbors as well as to your work
place. Please keep track of all orders you receive.
Please make cheques payable to SOS Emergency Response Technologies and submit your order no later than November 25th
for guaranteed delivery before Christmas. We will accept late orders until Dec. 1st and do our best to get those to you before
Christmas. If you have any questions please
email: [email protected] or call 604-435-4430.
We thank you for your support of this extremely important
initiative!
